Ministry of Industry issues 85 mining licenses in February

Logo of Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources

Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources issued 85 new mining licenses in February with investments totaling SAR 1.9 billion.
 

The licenses were distributed across several categories. Metal product manufacturing (excluding machinery and equipment) received 18 licenses. It was followed by food manufacturing (14 licenses) and the manufacturing of rubber and plastic products (10 licenses).
 

Small enterprises accounted for 85.88% of new industrial licenses, medium-sized enterprises (11.76%), and micro-sized enterprises (2.35%). National factories received the lion’s share of licenses with 82.35%, followed by foreign establishments (12.94%), and joint investment establishments (4.71%).
 

The number of factories that began production in February reached 80 with a total investment value of SAR 4.3 billion. Non-metallic metal factories took the lead with 30 factories, followed by 12 food factories, eight fabricated metal factories, five rubber and plastics factories and four chemical factories, according to a report by the National Center for Industrial and Mining Information.
 

National factories made up 86.25% of the total factories that started production. It was followed by foreign establishments (11.25%), and joint investment establishments (2.5%).
 

The new licenses were issued in nine administrative regions, topped by Riyadh with 37 factories. The Eastern Province came second with 21 factories, followed by Makkah (eight), Madinah and Qassim (five each), Aseer (four), Al-Jouf (three), as well as Tabuk and Hail with one factory each.